A couple days ago, I started writing Myles' Christmas Wishlist post. It made me think of an idea to share with you all a favorites list of items we already know we love. So here are some Christmas ideas straight from the brain of my three year old, Myles.
1. Melissa and Doug Catch and Count Fishing Game: Myles got this for this second birthday. Almost a year and a half later and he still loves playing with it. It's a toy that has a pretty wide age range and many different purposes. At first, he mostly just used the polls to pick up any random fish. Now, we can practice colors by picking up a certain color I say. He hasn't quite gotten to the actually game part (picking up the fish that the arrow lands on), but that just means we will continue to get good use out of it! And because it's wooden (and Melissa and Doug) it has held together wonderfully.
2. Step2 Easel: Myles got this two Christmases ago from my parents. I put it up for a while and brought it out here and there to see if he was ready to try it out. It wasn't until recently that he has really begun to make good use out of it. We practice learning our numbers and letters and he really likes to draw pictures now. I like that it has a chalkboard side and a whiteboard side and also comes with magnetic letters and numbers. It's also easy to clean and folds up nicely. I can see us using this well into the future as Myles learns to write and draw more.
3. Melissa and Doug Alphabet Puzzle: I picked up a Melissa and Doug alphabet puzzle very similar to this one at Goodwill two years ago. We looked at it here and there, but now that Myles is in school and learning his letters, it has become a great teaching tool. He can see what each letter looks like and a picture of something that starts with each letter underneath. I like it because I can just grab a letter and talk about it without him getting too bored. And again it's wood, so the quality is great.
4. Carter's 2 piece pajama set: These are Myles' favorite type of jammies. He often complains about his pajamas being too tight (totally my son), so I have been buying more of these lately. They are loose and comfortable, but still warm and snugly.
5. Imaginext Batcave: Myles got this from Santa last year, and it was by far his favorite gift. It has so many cool features, for a relatively low price (we got a Black Friday deal). I honestly can't say enough about how much it keeps Myles entertained. It comes with Batman (his motorcycle, helmet, and bat flier) and Robin. It has a jail cell, missile launcher, and a command center. It is also interactive with an app for iPhones. For me, the best part about these toys is seeing Myles really develop his imagination with them. We come up with all sorts of fun and goofy scenarios to put Batman and Robin though. This is definitely one of the best toy investments we've made so far.
6. Rolie Polie Olie: My mom sent Myles this book some months ago and it instantly became a favorite. I have read this story a ridiculous amount of times and I still love it. It is probably the only book he has that I don't mind reading every single night before bed. It never gets old to me: Rolie is so cute, the story is fun, and the rhyming is delightfully infectious. I promise that you and your littles will love this book!
7. Peanut Butter and Cupcake: Our second favorite book is one Myles got on his third birthday. My mom found this one, and I was a little skeptical at first. I didn't think it was something that Myles would be interested in. Boy was I wrong! He thinks this book is so funny and gets super involved when we read it. I like the story line, but the illustrations make this book a top for me. It does get a but repetitive reading it, but I can't deny how much Myles loves this story.
8. LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra: This was Myles' big present from my parents last Christmas. I wasn't sure he would be ready for it at that time, but it was such a good deal, I told them to get it anyway. I would say that at 2 he didn't do much on it. He pretty much only listened to some stories I downloaded. He played with it here and there for a couple months, but started really getting into it right before he turned 3. I bought him a preschool pack set of 4 games and he can play them all by himself now. He still listens to his stories and he also really likes the Pet Pad Party game that came already loaded. This is another good investment toy with a wide age range. I think it has games for up to age 8. I love that Myles is learning (a variety of concepts), but stays totally interested because of the 'game' format.
9. Kidoozie X-track: I bought this for Myles for his second birthday. It was set up at local toy store and I knew it would be a total hit with Myles. The fact that these cars race by themselves is pretty amazing to Myles. It comes with a ton of small individual pieces that link together to make the track, so you are able to move and manipulate it however you would like. There is also a bridge/tunnel and a cross piece so both cars can run on two different tracks. Myles loves that at times the cars meet and crash in the middle. This is a super unique race track and keeps up entertained for hours.
1. Melissa and Doug Catch and Count Fishing Game: Myles got this for this second birthday. Almost a year and a half later and he still loves playing with it. It's a toy that has a pretty wide age range and many different purposes. At first, he mostly just used the polls to pick up any random fish. Now, we can practice colors by picking up a certain color I say. He hasn't quite gotten to the actually game part (picking up the fish that the arrow lands on), but that just means we will continue to get good use out of it! And because it's wooden (and Melissa and Doug) it has held together wonderfully.
2. Step2 Easel: Myles got this two Christmases ago from my parents. I put it up for a while and brought it out here and there to see if he was ready to try it out. It wasn't until recently that he has really begun to make good use out of it. We practice learning our numbers and letters and he really likes to draw pictures now. I like that it has a chalkboard side and a whiteboard side and also comes with magnetic letters and numbers. It's also easy to clean and folds up nicely. I can see us using this well into the future as Myles learns to write and draw more.
3. Melissa and Doug Alphabet Puzzle: I picked up a Melissa and Doug alphabet puzzle very similar to this one at Goodwill two years ago. We looked at it here and there, but now that Myles is in school and learning his letters, it has become a great teaching tool. He can see what each letter looks like and a picture of something that starts with each letter underneath. I like it because I can just grab a letter and talk about it without him getting too bored. And again it's wood, so the quality is great.
4. Carter's 2 piece pajama set: These are Myles' favorite type of jammies. He often complains about his pajamas being too tight (totally my son), so I have been buying more of these lately. They are loose and comfortable, but still warm and snugly.
5. Imaginext Batcave: Myles got this from Santa last year, and it was by far his favorite gift. It has so many cool features, for a relatively low price (we got a Black Friday deal). I honestly can't say enough about how much it keeps Myles entertained. It comes with Batman (his motorcycle, helmet, and bat flier) and Robin. It has a jail cell, missile launcher, and a command center. It is also interactive with an app for iPhones. For me, the best part about these toys is seeing Myles really develop his imagination with them. We come up with all sorts of fun and goofy scenarios to put Batman and Robin though. This is definitely one of the best toy investments we've made so far.
6. Rolie Polie Olie: My mom sent Myles this book some months ago and it instantly became a favorite. I have read this story a ridiculous amount of times and I still love it. It is probably the only book he has that I don't mind reading every single night before bed. It never gets old to me: Rolie is so cute, the story is fun, and the rhyming is delightfully infectious. I promise that you and your littles will love this book!
7. Peanut Butter and Cupcake: Our second favorite book is one Myles got on his third birthday. My mom found this one, and I was a little skeptical at first. I didn't think it was something that Myles would be interested in. Boy was I wrong! He thinks this book is so funny and gets super involved when we read it. I like the story line, but the illustrations make this book a top for me. It does get a but repetitive reading it, but I can't deny how much Myles loves this story.
8. LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra: This was Myles' big present from my parents last Christmas. I wasn't sure he would be ready for it at that time, but it was such a good deal, I told them to get it anyway. I would say that at 2 he didn't do much on it. He pretty much only listened to some stories I downloaded. He played with it here and there for a couple months, but started really getting into it right before he turned 3. I bought him a preschool pack set of 4 games and he can play them all by himself now. He still listens to his stories and he also really likes the Pet Pad Party game that came already loaded. This is another good investment toy with a wide age range. I think it has games for up to age 8. I love that Myles is learning (a variety of concepts), but stays totally interested because of the 'game' format.
9. Kidoozie X-track: I bought this for Myles for his second birthday. It was set up at local toy store and I knew it would be a total hit with Myles. The fact that these cars race by themselves is pretty amazing to Myles. It comes with a ton of small individual pieces that link together to make the track, so you are able to move and manipulate it however you would like. There is also a bridge/tunnel and a cross piece so both cars can run on two different tracks. Myles loves that at times the cars meet and crash in the middle. This is a super unique race track and keeps up entertained for hours.
What are some current favorites in your house?
